Brand prosperity is a lot like the root system of a tree. Although hidden beneath the soil, the root system of a tree is the origin of its strength, stability and capacity to flourish. A nourished root system grows a tree that produces a bountiful yield. Conversely, a deprived root system can compromise the tree’s ability to produce at all.

In similar fashion, the root system for a brand must be strong and healthy for the brand to prosper. Each root is an integral part of a brand’s path to not just bear fruit, but flourish. A strong root system for a brand is rooted in a disciplined and methodical Go to Market strategy. This is the fourth in an 8-week series outlining the framework of a successful Go to Market strategy. The previous articles can be found here:First: PurposeSecond: Product StrategyThird: Production Strategy

The fourth root in a successful Go to Market strategy is the focus of this article: People (Consumer) Strategy

Thank you for your interest in this topic. We welcome your feedback and comments, and the opportunity to help you on your journey.

If we work “backward” to create a successful product, we start with identifying the market gap or need for a solution. Subsequently, we identify when or how this solution would be used (use occasions), and third, we define the consumer or user who benefits from this solution. Let’s stop there for a moment - we have yet to consider it’s selling price, what content should be on its Amazon.com page, from where ingredients are sourced, or even naming our founding values. Implicit in the very notion of this process as the “backward” version is that it’s either wrong or it’s not common practice. Unfortunately, it’s the latter, and the result is short lived or underperforming products because the go to market structure focused on the logistics, operations, and B2B partnerships to get a product on shelf, and/or grossly over simplified the consumer as a ‘millennial’ or ‘millennial mom’, which is too broad to effectively, efficiently, and financially target.

Whether we work “forward” or “backward” to dive into our consumer strategy, there are three key questions to ask at this critical stage to define the consumer who benefits from our solution:

Brand prosperity is a lot like the root system of a tree. Although hidden beneath the soil, the root system of a tree is the origin of its strength, stability and capacity to flourish. A nourished root system grows a tree that produces a bountiful yield. Conversely, a deprived root system can compromise the tree’s ability to produce at all.

In similar fashion, the root system for a brand must be strong and healthy for the brand to prosper. Each root is an integral part of a brand’s path to not just bear fruit, but flourish. A strong root system for a brand is rooted in a disciplined and methodical Go to Market strategy. This is the third in an 8-week series outlining the framework of a successful Go to Market strategy. The previous articles can be found here:First: PurposeSecond: Product Strategy

The third root in a successful Go to Market strategy is the focus of this article: Production Strategy.

Thank you for your interest in this topic. We welcome your feedback and comments, and the opportunity to help you on your journey.

Many service providers focus on sourcing suppliers for ingredients, packaging, and manufacturing/production, as well as oversight and advisory on the operational logistics associated with the aforementioned elements. It is highly likely an early stage brand will work with one or more of these fine partners and companies, and likely stay with them as they grow. While navigating each process there are dozens of questions to help providers define the product “spec” – specifications that guide them to conduct searches and manage processes to the founder’s expectations and arrive at the desired outcome.

Defining your values and Purpose before entering these processes is critical to ensuring the end result is consistent with your original vision, or in the very least, provides a compass to guide you in the many decisions and changes you may need to adapt to along the way. For background on defining Purpose, see this article, the first in this series.

This article focuses on the decisions made surrounding a product’s Production that create or impact its positioning.

IngredientsIngredients are a focal point for consumers when considering a product. In broad terms, consumers consider the following characteristics about ingredients:

You could conduct or buy consumer research to identify the importance of these in your category, but let’s save the research time and money – choose to take a leadership position on ingredient quality and standards. Don’t accept the structure and inertia of the food processing system to dictate your options – set your standards and go after it.

Not all ingredients are created equal and one of the most consequential decisions for ingredient supply is quality/integrity vs price. Often these are directly correlated (as price increases, quality increases). Different tests evaluate different factors to help determine the “quality” of an ingredient, and it’s important to conduct them or obtain certified results to verify. It’s also an implicit part of transparency.

Core to a brand’s revenue growth is a disciplined and methodical Go to Market strategy. This is the second in an 8-week series outlining the framework elements of a successful Go to Market strategy. The first focused on Purpose and can be found here. The second core element to a successful Go to market strategy is the focus of this article: Product.

When selling a product, the bottom line goal is to sell (1) The right product, in (2) The right place, at (3) The right price, at (4) The right time, to (5) The right consumer target.

This article will focus on product, with a reference to place as merchandising. Place is typically considered the selling outlet or vehicle. This and the other components of this equation will be addressed in subsequent articles.

Thank you for your interest in this topic. We welcome your feedback and comments, and the opportunity to help you on your journey.

Although its authenticity is impossible to confirm, one of my favorite quotes of all time is attributed to Charles H. Duell, Commissioner of the US patent office in 1899. According to legend, Mr. Duell claimed that,

"Everything that can be invented, has been invented"

If this were in fact the case, everything that was created in the last 119 years – and I mean everything – would not exist. Nor would our own dreams of what could be possible, or those of every generation to come, would ever be manifest into reality. Man, that’s a real bummer.

Thankfully this isn’t the case, and in fact, it’s just the opposite. Our world is alive with new ideas, new breakthroughs, and new products every single day. If you’re a fan of food, beverage, personal care and wellness product discovery, there is no shortage of new products to delight, entice, intrigue, and engage with on a daily basis.

Therein lies the conundrum – it’s never been easier to start a new brand, whether as a personal mission, opportunistic entrepreneur, or defensive strategy, yet the chances of success are small (it depends how one defines “success”, but let’s use a general notion of a sustainable business model with a meaningful level of target consumer awareness, category market share, household penetration, and profitability). I won’t cite statistics because that’s not the point to center on. This is: product strategy requires thoroughly defining multiple positioning points, but success is dependent on differentiating through the right ones.

Consider this: do we really need another salsa? BBQ sauce? Peanut butter? Coffee? The answer is, actually, maybe. Thinking there’s nothing else that could be invented could easily lead to product commoditization. At best this thinking suggests the only opportunity for new product introductions are iterations of existing items (lower sodium or sugar, new size or flavor, etc.), and at worst, complacency with what exists and how things are. Thankfully there are acutely curious & observant people among us who see beyond the here and now to what “could be” with the passion to drive their ideas forward. And that is the first tenet of a successful product: